In loving memory of a friend…. February 28, 2009

Ocho Cino and one of his antics

Well its been a long week, and it ended on a rough note.  I found out my football APSI buddy passed away from cancer, and now im sad.  We wont be able to have another Packer/Cincy party and thats depressing.  I wish I was able to go home for the funeral, but alas its too far and too expensive, and grad school is getting in the way, so ill mourn from afar. The sad thing is that I will never get to hear him say that “we should move Chad Johnson to Dayton…we should move the Cincinnati Bengals to Dayton” and I will never get to say “I dont thing Daytons ready for Chad.”  So in memory of him, tonights picture is of the problem causing, outlandish Ocho Cinco.

Tonight blog will be short and sweet.  I dont have much to say after this, sorry I havent blogged lately, but Ill step it up!

Later!

 

 

Night on Diamondhead, scary tunnel, and tsunamis February 25, 2009

Hmmm…my goal for tonight was to visit the County and State EOCs (or Disaster Management Centers) and hope that it would help me overcome my irrational fear of tsunamis that I have developed since moving to Oahu and taking this disaster class.  Unfortunately it wasnt much help, especially when I learned that the 3 “worst case” disasters for Hawaii were Hurricanes, flash floods, and tsunamis.  Add in poor Hawaii infrastructure (like homes that are only single panelled) and a Catagory 1-2 hurricane would wipe out Oahu….I think Florida is looking better everyday!

There was a few upsides today…I got to ride in a Mini…and now I see them every where I go.  Next, I got to go to Diamond head, which is always fun…but I got to do it at night, and I also got to go in to the “secret” underground bunker that is the State EOC…which was sweet.  The tunnel that goes through Diamond head to get to the EOC looks ominous and slightly fake.  I think they just blasted their way through and then fiberglass sprayed the shit out of the sides…it looked like a bad stage prop but you know it was real…especially the boulders sticking out the sides as you drive by. Finally, I got to see real time earthquakes occurring around the world, and there are a lot.  Like at 6:30 this morning there was an earthquake in California….granted it was only a 1.1 on the scale, but it was an earthquake.  The EOCs board keeps all earthquakes for the past week, their size, and how deep they occurred.  Any earthquake that occurs within 12 miles of the surface can cause tsunamis…so yay for deep earthquakes!!!!!!!  No close ones please.  Plus I learned that at the end of July there is going to be a pandemic disaster drill…and I may be a corpse!  One of my things on my wish list to check of…play dead.  Yes I know Im weird.

Keeping with the disaster theme…what was with the Republican response to Obama by Jindal? Bringing up Volcano watching as a negative aspect of the $800 billion bailout and listing it as pork barrel is stupid. Thats disaster management idiot!  As a Governor of any state you are in charge of the State EOC, and thus in charge of all state disaster responses.  Yes, your state may not have a volcano, but you seem to do oh so well tih other disasters…ie Katrina.  Granted, disasters are local and county problem until they ask for help, but you still have to know what is going on, and part of any good disaster program is sufficient preparedness.  And that means knowing what disasters are immanent for given areas.  The minute a volcano erupts and kills people, you are going to have everyone micro-managing the situation and examining what went wrong and what could have been done better.  Give the folks the proper funding so they can do their job.  And if the bonus allows for the creation of additional jobs, then bonus!  Jobs in this economy is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Later!

Crazy people of the world today, climbing a new mountain, and stupid speech phrases February 24, 2009

What is up with people in the world today?  Firts an Indian woman sells her newborn babyboy to a rickshaw driver for the equivalent to $130, and the a 9 year old get married in Texas! Im not sure, but I think that the world is slowly losing its mind, and Im blaming Rush Limbaugh…dont know why I blame him, but I have decided I do….

“Day of Reckoning”?  Seroiusly?  Come on Obama…what are we, in some hollywood script of a sequel to Independence Day?  Is Will Smith standing next to you with an alien in his parachute?  Somehow I think you could have picked a better phrase then something so cliche…or maybe you need better script writers.  Either way, I think the phrase is overkill!

I have decided that I need to stop drinking…well after the bottle of Jager is gone from the freezer and the ones back in Jessies freezer are gone too… I cant waste the jager!  But apparently a recent study has linked cancer to drinking in women.  Ok maybe I wont be that drastic in my pronouncement, but apparently the more you drink the more likely you are to develop breast, rectal, or liver cancer, and none of those sound like fun!

Hmmm… a new set of mountains have been discovered the size of the alps…of course they are entombed in antarctic ice.  i wonder if I set foot on the ice shelve, would it mean that i have climbed the summit of the new mountains?  That would be sweet!  Then I could state that Ive actually climbed a mountain, which would be the only way Id do it, cause the other more rigorous way doesnt sound appealing at all!

What is up with the Illinois politicians?  First Blagojevich refuses to resign and step down after the scandal, and now Burris is being as stubborn and pig headed as he was!  At least he doesnt have crazy hair, but he does have that crazy tombstone listing all of his accomplishments…I think his ego is getting in the way.

Best job in the world number 2…apparently it is painting the nude Carnival models in Brazil….um…maybe for a guy this would be the best job, I some how cant find the appeal in painting nude women.

Has the culture of fear ended in the US?  Probably not, but its nice to see that the new Homeland Security head, Napolitano, is avoiding using terrorism, 9/11, etc in her remarks for her testimony to Congress…it would be nice to not hear politicians constantly playing on peoples fears, and just focus on the job!  Go Janet!

Later!

The loss of a Colt, a city I wouldnt live in, and women rule! February 23, 2009

My roomie Erik and his jumping obsession

Josh and Erik practicing their DUI skills

Josh and Erik practicing their DUI skills

Well the monotony of grad school has sunk in, but I am slowly dragging myself out of the lack of desire to do anything and am actually catching up on reading…which is a good thing!  Class went smooth today, and I am officially Mao’d out…any more reading on COIN (cointerinsurgency) theory this week and my head may explode, but some how I have to find a way to read about the Algerian War by monday.  My weekend was a little relaxing, but it was also full of reading and paper writing.  It could have been worse.  I spent some time hanging with the roomies, and I have included pics of them being goofballs…enjoy.

I have to love Obama for his naive simplistic views on things sometimes.  Apparently McCain approached Obama about the rising cost of some military expenditures, mainly the creation of a new wave of  Marine One helicopters from Lockhead Martin that will cost more than Air Force 1.  In response to the apparent need for a new helicopter Obama stated, ‘”the helicopter he has now seems adequate, adding that he never had a helicopter before and ‘maybe I’ve been deprived and I didn’t know it.’”   I would be the same way.  If I had one helicopter and never had one before I would be ecstatic…forget building me a new one!

Well women are once again superior to the males of this species!  When processing beauty, men use the right side of their brain, while us women use our entire brain! Apparently we  link beauty to all kinds of other aspects like sensory, linguistics, etc…while men see it as an object.  I have decided that women are just further along on the evolutionary process then men…it explains alot!

In football news…all you fantasy players out there…Marvin Harrison is no longer and Indy Colt…he has been listed as free agent after he refused to take a pay cut and no contract deals were struck.  Poor Jessie…her team is losing a great player!

After reading about some places in the world, I have  list, albeit small, of places I wouldnt like to live.  I have added the city of  Zhengzhou, China to the list.  Apparently public servants have been forbidden to wear bright colored clothes, and must match.  However, the real problem for me is that hairstyle must be simple and natural color.  I dont know if I could live somewhere I couldnt let my freak flag fly even a little!  I mean, I may decide I want my hair hot pink, purple, or black again….and I want that option to do it!

I know sometimes restaurants can give diners headaches, especially when there is lousy service or your bill is wrong, but taking it to the extent that a patron of a diner in Cyprus did may be extreme.  He apparently was angry at the bill and doused the place in Petrol, fired a shotgun, and threatened to t burn the place down (maybe not in that exact order). I think anger management may be in order for him otherwise his anger might kill him…literally.  A new study was done stating that anger can kill…cause  it leads to heart defects from stress.  So maybe burning a diner down over a bill isnt the best idea if it could potentially lead to a coronary heart attack!

Well Im off to watch some tv, and slowly fry my brain from watching Family Guy…

Later!

My wish is dying, the italian fashion bailout, and my new anti-malarial option! February 21, 2009

Uh oh…my plans for the afterlife could be in jeopardy.  With the focus from the collision of the satellites moving to all the junk orbiting our planet, everyone seems to be concerned about cleaning it up.  My fear?  That I wont be able to become space trash…that would be highly disappointing…well at  least it is currently disappointing.  If I was dead, I wouldnt be disappointed cause I wouldnt be alive anymore!  Oh well…i havent given up on my dream yet, and hope I wont have to.

Ooohhhh I want this!  Why couldnt I have this back in Togo?!  Apparently a Swiss drug company has come up with a cherry flavored anti-malarial!  I wonder if I would be allergic to this one?!  I hope not cause if I make my way back to Africa next spring I will need some form of malarial protection and Im not looking forward to doxycyline.  Novartis and Coartem here I come!

Guess whos wanting a handout now?!  The fashion industry.  Apparently designers have petitioned Italy for assistance as their sails for designer garments plummets, resulting in a lack of profit.  Im not sure that bailing out everyone is a good thing, and the fashion industry may be included in this, but the last thing I want is Meryl Streep coming and hunting me down with a turquise colored garment and reminding me that the clothes I wear come from those designers…eventuallly (Im having flashbacks to the Devil Wears Prada….sorry)

Class was interesting today.. I learned all about my classmates obsession with cheese, and that my professor thinks Stalin was a great man. Perhaps the funniest part is that when we started talking about the way in how Americans idolize heroes from war has changed since the WWII era.  During WWII we idolized soldiers who were strong, who took out the enemy single handedly, etc…then came Korea and Vietnam, where things changed and people began to idolize the POWs and those who sacrificed themsleves for others.  The change from strength and skill to victim and compassion is interesting.  It explains why we see every soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan on the news.  We have begun idolizing someone who died just doing their job.  Their job may be dangerous, but it is a job.  Upon their death, everyone becomes the greatest person ever, but as my professor pointed out…maybe just maybe one of those dead wasnt as nice as everyone wants to believe, but maybe just maybe was a real asshole.  Just food for thought. (Not that Im saying soldiers are assholes!  They arent, but idolizing them just for doing their job is kinda strange).

Off to read Mao.

Later!

Brain hurting, mind numbing, A….is it really worth it? February 19, 2009

Well today was interesting.  I have discovered many things, among them that I am not the only one feeling lackluster and lacking motivatio for this semester.  Which makes me happy to know.  Secondly, I have discovered that grades dont mean anything, especially when the outcome is an A and you still have to redo everything.  And lastly, I learned that class can give you a headache…literally. Tonight wa my thesis class, and while my topic proposal wasnt ripped to shreds like some of my classmates topics were, it has its problem areas….mainly that my topic wont work how its currently phrased and the objectives I have are impractical.  Dang… Even worse is that my profs suggestions for me are making things even more complex, because although I like the direction hes guiding me, it is making my head literally hurt from trying to grasp how I will achieve it.  How do you do primary research on ideology?  Can someone answer me that?!  Please!!!! Part of me wants to scrap the entire subject and redo it but I know I will get a yelling at from Hart if I do that.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  Anyone reading this blog at HPU who has yet to take 7601….I feel sorry for you….it will drive you nuts!

My brain is hurting too much to think…I cant even analyze the odd news from around the world tonight….ahhh stupid Ideology….Im off to do some brainless activity for awhile and then I have to read a book an Race and US empirialism.  Im not looking forward to it.

Later!

My new hobby, whats in a name, and child soldiers February 18, 2009

Ive been quite bored this week.  I should be reading and working on papers, but motivation has been lacking.  Dont worry, Ill get them done, but I really need something to keep my mind focused.  I need a new hobby, or at least something odd to keep my mind occupied.  So I have decided after tonights class that becoming a corpse would be a fun way to spend the time.  No, Im not talking about killing myself.  Im talking about being a corpse. About volunteering to take place in a disaster exercise playing the role of the dead.  Apparently there is some lightning strike exercise coming up that is a big disaster preparedness exercise on the island and Bree and I wnat to be corpses.  Yes we are disturbed….but in a good way!

In case you missed it Blackwater has decided that they need to change somethings since their image has been tainted by the war in Iraq.  Wanna know how they are changing?  How about the name.  They will now be known as XE.  Thats it…no substance changes, just cosmetic.  Wonder if the Iraqi government will allow XE to get a contract?

When you are playing with your buddy and you are acting like commandos, or some other miltary guys, and you are running around the neighborhood playing, make sure you dont actually look so realistic that it ends in a major police operation.  Apparently two German kids were playing and were thought to be members of some elite german military group, and caused the neighbors to panic and call the cops.  Now I wonder how in the world some idiots thought 2 kids looked like military members?! Wow, I want some of that realistic gear to play with!

Sorry I havent blogged, but although Ive been bored, Ive also been lacking motivation for almost anything….(besides egg hunts)….Im trying to refocus..the corpse gig helped…a little.

Later!

A bill for common sense, a day of gun fire, and more Hugo February 15, 2009

Well its nice and cool out today…well windy anyways.  The mountains normally keep the wind off of Nuuanu but the breeze has foudn its way in between the mountains and has eben blowing all day.  Its not Ohio’s version of Ohio windstorm ‘09, but its definately cooled down the area. 

Right now I am hearing semi-automatic machine gun firing coming form the living room as Erik and Josh kill things on the X-box, and it is sad to say that sounds of gun fire waking me up is no longer a strange sound.  Now that isnt a problem right now, seeing as I am in Honolulu and not a third world country run by militias, but if I ever venture into a scenario like that then having a built up tolerance of machine gun fire may not be a good thing.

In case you missed it Hugo won the right to abolish term limits to the presidency in Venezuala. Should be an iunteresting next couple of years….

Its always interesting living in Hawaii…take for example the legislative bills that are proposed at all levels of state and county government. Right now there are tow kinda strange bills before the county legislation…one is against moepeds, the other is against leaf blowers.  The moeped one I can understand, no more riding on sidewalks people….but the leaf blower one is kinda weird. Apparently leaf blowers are being banned for use during certain hours due to noise pollution.  What makes the bill stranger is that there is an actual stipulation of time form 8am to 8pm that it is ok to use leaf blowers.  My question..who is using leaf blowers when the sun isnt up?!?!?!  Its kinda sad that people have to be legislated some common sense.

Well im off to watch my roommates try and be assassins or whatnot…im not sure what game they are playing right now, but it should be funny seeing Josh play it, cause he has a problem with guns…

Later!

Fear of fire trucks, a new valentines day tradition, and they call it mellow yellow? February 14, 2009

Well I havent posted for a couple of days, mainly because Ive been busy writig papers, and the idea of typing even more, even for fun wasnt too appealing.  But Im back, and I actually get to blog tonight, which is amazing because I spent most of the day without power here at the house.  Im not sure what happened…no storms that Im aware of but, definately no power.  The entertainment for the evening came from reading Mao’s On Guerrilla Warfare until the sun went down too much for me to see the print, and then I watched the firetrucks that all arrived in the neighborhood with my roomie Josh for an hour.  Our guesses as to the presence of the fire trucks was either gas leak or downed power line, cause there was no visible smoke or flames., but it could have been an electrical fire too with all of the seizure inducing flickering of lights we put up with tonight.  Either way I have decided that Honolulu Emergency Response management could be better.  For whatever the problem was, three different fire trucks showed up at the scene…I decided that if a fourth showed up then it was overkill cause a fire could be waging somewhere else on the island and there would have been no one to respond to it!  It was entertaining to watch the firetrucks try and manuever around my neighborhood (which has hilly, curvy, and dead end roads all over the place…plus very thin lanes).  It was humerous.  And my education for the night came not from my book, but from my roomate who I discovered has an irrational fear of fire trucks!  Maybe my tsunami obsession isnt so weird now?!

In case you missed the news, and I know everyone is wanting ot know this one, Zimbabwes powersharing deal is about to die…again.  For all of you out there who were hoping that this time it would be successful, Im sorry.  Tsvangirai may have made it into office as PM but good ole Mugabe decides that he wasnt going to honor the powersharing arrangements within the cabinet appointments and arrested the opposition cabinet appointee Bennett on suspicion of treason.  Good ole Mugabe.  This was so predictable!  Something gets rough, arrest someone or shoot someone….cause thats always the answer!

Something thats not so predictable, but just as distrubing in a different way may be India’s new idea for a drink.  Apparently a new soft drink will be launched that is made from Cows urine.  Now I realize that cows are sacred in India, and that sometimes cows urine is drunk at religious festivals and for medical purposes, but to market it beyond the “special occasion” for mainstream consumption is making my stomach quesy just thinking about it.  I may be very open minded about many things, and willing to try almost any food, but this is one im going to have to say no to.

Now many of you who know me realize that Valentines Day is not my favorite holiday.  Its not because im single, and get depressed, but instead is linked to the cookie shop, and the hours upon hours i spent every V-day decoraing cookies and not sleeping. I cant think about the holiday without thinking about insomnia, cookies, and the nights with Dan checking over EVERY order. I miss the craziness of it, but am glad not to have to see, eat, or smell a cookie right now!  That may be how I spent many V-days but in a weirder twist to the holiday many Indian women decided that filling local bars and sending cartons of pink panties to a local Hindu radical group who is anti-women, is the best way to spend the holiday.  Hmmm…maybe this can become my new holiday ritual…pink panty mailing, bar hopping, fun….we’ll see.

Well Im off to spend sometime on the computer…cause there is POWER!!!

Later!

 

Contact Tvs, digital tattoos, and my irrational fear of tsunamis February 11, 2009

Did you miss your favorite tv show last night?  Dont have a DVR?  No where near a TV?  How about tv thats a contact!  Researchers have been working on a contact lens that is a tv.  Apparently it is powered off of your own body heat and will beam shows right before your eye…literally. As if this wasn’t futuristic enough, how about digital tattoos?! I know what you are thinking.  Why would anyone get a digitial tattoo instad of a real one with ink?  Or at least that was my thought.  But apparently digital tattoo is just a phrase, it really would allow wearers to literally feel the emotions that the move, music, etc wants you to feel. It is like a sensory manipulation chip….that may or  may not have a cool desgin! Alhough not in the manufacturing phase, some believe that in less then 10 years both option will be available.  I for one want a contact lens tv so that while in class I can watch Life and zone out on my professor.  J/K…kinda.

You know, I never really paid close attention to the earthquakes in Asia until I moved to Hawaii.  I mean I did read about them but there was no immediate concern flashing through my head as there is now.  Maybe its the Disaster class im currently taking, or maybe its knowing im on a tiny Island smaller than 1/2 the state of Ohio, but whenever I see or hear about an earthquake like the one in Indonesia my immediate thoughts flash to tsunami….Im not sure I would appreciate geting hit by a tsunami.  I may be higher up in the mountains and not on the beach, but it would still suck cause Honolulu airport is on the harbor and that would mean I would have no way off the island.  Im already getting island fever, and a tsunami wouldnt help.  Ok…i need to get off the tsunami thought train.

Gotta love Hawai’is addiction to the internet.  Not only can you have a doctors visit online now, but apparently the Honolulu City Council recently proposed the possibility of voting online.  Curently there is an investigation into reliability, and practicality of the voting options….i for one wouldn’t be surprised to see the option become a reality.   After all it would save money, trees, and be super cool!

As if the stuck Navy ship in the harbor isnt drama enough. In case you missed it, a naval cruise, Port Royal,  ran onto the reef in the Pearl Harbor area and got stuck.  No amount of unloading of materials helped re-float the ship and it is still stuck after multiple attempts to free it. The ships captain has been relieved of duties, and now the drama continues. Apparently the same cruiser failed to notify state officials that over 5000 gallons of raw sewage was released into the water. All I can say is that surfers may want to shower extra long and hard.

Sweet!  Cotton Candy is being used by scientists to regrow replacement tissue for people.  Missing skin, nerves, etc?  No problem!  Would you like bubble gum or fruit punch flavored replacements?

In case you missed the news.  Brett Favre has decided to retire..again.  Sorry Jets.  When you bought out the contract, you also bought the offseason drama.  We’ll see if in June he regrets his decision again.

Later!